The Strange Adventures of the Reverend James Gordon
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THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF THE REVEREND JAMES GORDON, SENSUALIST/SPY, STRATEGIST (?) AND SOOTHSAYER J. M. Bulloch BUCKIE: PRIVATELY. PRINTED: 1911 "-- i* a ( :-P=''" 1 THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF THE REVEREND JAMES GORDON, SENSUALIST, SPY, STRATEGIST (?) AND SOOTHSAYER J. M. Bulloch F*3 %! 9 u S9 BUCKIE: PRIVATELY PRINTED: 191 THE REV. JAMES GORDON, I.—IN GLASS, COULL, AND THE CABRACH. The Reverend James Gordon, deposed from the Kirks of Glass and Coull in turn; eloper and libertine : the defiant creator of a sort of Gretna Green in the wild Cabrach : State spy in Ireland : "reliever" (?) of Derry : and the possessor of second sight, exhibited in an extraordinary degree that spirit of rebel- lion which is historically associated with the great house of Gordon under all kinds of circumstances. His variant of it, however, might more properly be called wickedness rather than rebellion, because the ministerial life: which he had chosen demanded a very different code of conduct. It was probably an instinctive preception of the difficulty of keeping within bounds that prevented the Gordons joining any kind of priesthood in the same numbers as they took, say, to soldiering. But the parish minister allowed nothing to stand in. his way. He simply was himself, and, as that self was a peculiarly passionate and unruly entity, his adventures were re- markable. Strange to say his story has never yet been told as a whole. For example, Hew Scott, in his laborious "Fasti," does not recognise the deposed minister of Glass and the drunken parson whom Coull had to get rid of a few years later as one and the same person; while he has not an idea that he is the Rev. James Gordon who ended his career in Cardross. The proceedings of the Synod of Moray, so carefully edited by Dr Cramond, suggest that he betook himself to Ireland. But is it only since the Historical MSS. Commission publication of the sixth volume of the Ormonde Papers, within the last few weeks, that we are able to follow up his subsequent career. 4 THE REV. JAMES GORDON. His origin is obscure. Bishop Hopkins of Deny, who ferretted out a good deal of his antecedents, says that Gordon claimed kin- ship with Sir George Gordon of Haddo, 1st Earl of Aberdeen—which would be interesting, seeing the part played in the modern history of Ireland by Lord Aberdeen of to-day. This statement may have been a deliberate false- hood, or it may have been made with the same simplicity as many people show when they tell one gaily that they belong to the "Jock-and-Tam" Gordons; which is about as instructive as if they said they were des- cended from Adam himself. Bishop Hop- kins throws out another hint as to his origin when he says that Gordon "brought away a kinswoman of his who was his housekeeper." This apparently refers to Sivewright, his domestic servant, with whom he was guilty. Last of all, his taking a farm in the Cabrach suggests an origin there, though Soccoth, where he farmed, had belonged to his wife's family, the Cairnborrow Gordons. His grave stone suggests that he was born in 1645. His own career begins, so far as we can trace it at present, with his graduation at King's College, Aberdeen, on April 30, 1663, though Scott ("Fasti," hi., 523) identifies the minister of Coull with the graduate of Julv 19, 1666. Bishop Hopkins ("Ormonde Pap- ers," vi., 504) says he was "ordained by the. Bishop of Moray, whose surname is Macken- zie." He was elected minister of Glass prior to April 3, 1666; but he soon got into trouble. He had got engaged to "the sister of a gentle- man who served the cure of Moville" in Donegal ("Ormonde Papers," vi., 504). How he came to know an Irish lady at a time when Scots parish ministers were not great travellers is not clear, unless we believe that he was licensed in Ireland. Bishop Hopkins tells that "before the day of the marriage came, he brought away the Laird of Garnborough's [Cairnburrow's] daughter and took up his residence in Lon- donderry." She was Helen Gordon, daughter of John Gordon of Cairnburrow, and his elopement with her occurred before October 1, 1667, on which date he, as minister of —!: THE REV. JAMES GORDON. 5 Glass, was summoned by the Synod of Moray for the "deed of rapt committed upon the person of Helen Gordon." On the same occasion Mr James Gordon, the minister of Knockando, was summoned for concurrence in the deed, but neither of them appeared (Cramond's "Synod of Moray," p. 137). From the evidence led on the lollowing day. when Gordon was still absent, it appears that he had contracted a marriage "with a gentle- woman. The proclamation of their banns was past, a day indicated for solemnisation of their marriage. Three days before tne day of the intended marriage he did secretly in the night tyme with some accomplice take away the said Helen Gordon to Ireland i* is supposed" (Ibid., p. 138). The supposi- tion is correct, for Bishop Hopkins, taking up the thread of the narrative, says he "took up his residence in Londonderry, where he was admitted by Bishop Mossom to preach in Clondermot Church." The Synod of Moray duly deposed him from Glass, and excommunicated him. Scott ("Fasti," iii., 198) gives the date as October 23, 1667, but Cramond ("Synod of Moray," 137) gives April 7, 1668. Bishop Hopkins tells us that "upon the receipt of some letters he returned to Scot- land, where, after having done public pen- ance, he was married to the laird's daugh- ter." This statement is amplified by Cramond, who says that on April 8, 16(>.^ Gordon supplicated for a relaxing of the sentence of excommunication, and the case was referred to the sub-Synod of Moray, and a committee was appointed to confer with him. On May 6 he appeared before the Synod and confessed his fault with tears. He confesses he is married to Helen Gordon by mutual consent before witnesses. The Synod ordained the pair to separate, and commanded Gordon himself to appear in sackcloth in the kirks of Strathbogie, except Grange ("Synod of Moray," p. 138). He duly satisfied in sackcloth in most of the kirks what a day that must have been for scoffers —and was relaxed later on (Ibid., p. 140) but on April 5, 1670, he was declared for ever 6 THE REV. JAMES GORDON. incapable of bearing office "or the holie ministrie within the diocie of Moray" (Ibid., p. 146). Gordon, however, was not yet "phased." He was a plausible rogue, and probably had some territorial influence at his back through his alliance with the Cairnburrow family. So he shifted into the jurisdiction of another Synod, and got the kirk of Coull, where Scott says ("Fasti," hi., 528) that he was admitted before April 26, 1671. Bishop Hopkins sup- plies the linking up information that he lived here "for several years, and had by his wife four or five children. But, being desir- ous of change, he brought away a kins- woman of his who was his housekeeper to Aberdeen, and his wife making her complaint to the Synod he was convicted and deposed" ("Ormonde Papers," vi., 504). Scott (iii., 528) dates this deposition at April 23, 1674. Gordon's crime being "swearing, drinking, striking, denying his own subscription, and lying." Even, then, however, his career of trouble to the Church was not checked. Hopkins briefly says that he took "a farm of lands in the Highlands, where he continued until his wife died." That simple statement gives little idea of the annoyance he caused. What he did was to betake himself to the Cabrach —then and for long after a wild Back-o'- beyond, out of touch with the rest of the country—settling on the farm of Soccoth, which, as I have noted, had been held by a younger member of the Cairnburrow family. His farm became a sort of fortress for him, from which he hurled defiance at the Presby- tery of Alford for some several years, and at which he set up a kind of Gretna Green, baptising children who' were brought to him and marrying couples who sought his aid. The hide and seek pursuit of him by the Presbytery of Alford, which lasted between October 31, 1677, and April 13, 1681, when he vanished from the countryside, is almost incredible. On Dec. 19, 1677, Mr Robert Robertson, who had "supplied" the Cabrach, then without a regular minister, reported to the Presbytery that he had charged Gordon — THE REV. JAMES GORDON. 7 "verballie" to appear before it to answer the charge whether he "doth baptize and marrie, he being deposed and prohibited to do so." Gordon put in no appearance; "wherfor Mr Patrick Copland being ordained to supplie next, his servant is to carrie literall sum- monds to the said Mr James to the next dyet Januarie 16, 1678" ("Exercise of Alford," 288). Of course, Gordon flouted the "sum- monds," and so Mr William Burnet, the next minister to "supply" the Cabrach was intrusted with a similar task. Gordon once again declined to appear. The task was then assigned to Mr William Thomson and then to the Moderator himself, and Gordon put in an appearance on April 10, 1678. the Synod of Moray having complained about him on April 9, 1678. He denied "flat- lie" that he had married couples, particu- larly one Donald M'Lachlan and Christian Cruickshank. Christian, who was present at the meeting, "did on the other hand, con- fiden'tlie averr that she was married by him, offering to verifie the same on.